Written by Anthony L. Cuaycong
Title: The Princess Guide (NSW/PS4)
Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
Publisher: NIS America
Genre: Action, Role-Playing, Strategy
Price: $39.99
When Penny-Punching Princess was released early last year, not a few quarters deemed it a Japanese role-playing game that tread way, way off the beaten path. It wasn’t just quirky in the manner that Nippon Ichi Software properties tended to be. It was inventively so, introducing the concept of bribery and corruption as a means by which the principal protagonist would turn erstwhile enemies into allies. And under the watchful eye of industry veteran Hironori Takano, it proved to be a standout among a bevy of rote action-adventure titles on the Nintendo Switch.
Parenthetically, gamers who consider Penny-Punching Princess to have been well worth their while will be pleased to know that NIS has put forth another title that builds on the brawler’s strengths. At the same time, The Princess Guide manages to be accessible to the less venturesome, eschewing idiosyncratic mechanics in favor of a more traditional progression hierarchy. It begins from the vantage point of a battle-weary warrior ready to settle down and yet not quite willing to let go of his colorful past. In an effort to transition to a peaceful life, he decides to cast himself as a sage prepared to impart his knowledge of combat off decades’ worth of personal experience to those who wish to hire him for the purpose.
Because of the would-be mentor’s reputation as a seasoned champion, aided in large part by times he himself wrote to perpetuate it, he promptly gets four princesses under his wing; each has singular characteristics, and each has preferred fighting styles. Each also has a storyline gamers must navigate prior to reaching the denouement of the overarching narrative. Thusly, The Princess Guide sees him teach them, and then learn from him — as is appropriate for their specific skill sets. Needless to say, control of all the characters is inevitable, although one at a time through individual campaigns, and then together.
All told, The Princess Guide is of medium length by JRPG standards. That said, the distinctiveness of the characters adds further value in variety. Arrogant Veronica is partial to magic and wants to conquer the world — literally. Dagger-wielding Alpana is the opposite, full of empathy and seeking to unite citizens of her domain. Gunslinger Monomaria, demanding of self to a fault, figures to restore honor to her broken family’s name by freeing her kingdom from debt. Good-natured Liliartie, trusty axe in tow, craves for a fine meal and, concomitantly, sees a dragon she needs to fight as one.
In other words, layers of texture dot The Princess Guide. And, for good measure, the mentor has the capacity to praise or scold a princess in combat, to tangible effects. A word of encouragement leads to restoration of health, while a reprimand serves to increase aggression under pressure. Clearly benefiting from Takano’s involvement in its development, it likewise presents a more refined version of Penny-Punching Princess’ trap system, enabling the soldiers that accompany the protagonists to occupy Relics and use their features for maximum damage to multiple opponents.
Progression is clear within each princess’ story arc, but The Princess Guide doesn’t lack for side quests off an easily discernible world map. Completion of main and extra missions provides the mentor with experience via Knowledge Materia, which, in turn, can be used to improve his charges’ skills. Admittedly, though, the rinse-and-repeat context is premised on prior knowledge of its triggers. In this regard, it could have allowed for a more favorable learning curve and offered tutorials on an as-needed basis. Instead, the requisite instructions are found in a repository gamers have to dig into by themselves.
Certainly, it helps that The Princess Guide shines from a technical standpoint. It’s an audio-visual feast on the PlayStation 4 Pro, exhibiting a distinct brightness of colors that highlight the stellar character and background designs, backstopped by an appropriately enveloping sound mix. The default Japanese voice acting is superb and augmented by spot-on English subtitles. Menus are detailed and a breeze to read, and while the action can sometimes be hard to keep up with on a busy screen, it’s more a function of the sheer number of characters involved than of swooning frame rates. Movements and animations are steady even when played on an undocked Nintendo Switch, with NIS ostensibly going for optimum performance even as it comes with some optical softness.
Be forewarned, though: Precisely because of the ease with which gamers can get lost in the glory of The Princess Guide, there is a tendency for manual saving to be overlooked. It cannot, lest hours upon hours of progress be lost for lack of an autosave feature. It’s a big miss, but one that the game thankfully manages to overcome because of its myriad positives. On the whole, NIS’ latest venture is a stylized medium-length actioner of equal parts whimsy and depth, humor and gravitas, and manages to pull its weight well above the JRPG crowd.
THE GOOD
- Multiple run-throughs via distinct storylines
- Visually striking
- Distinctive gameplay
- Action is smooth, even on an undocked Switch
THE BAD
- Grinding required
- Tutorials not provided as needed
- No autosave feature
- Middling artificial intelligence
RATING: 8/10
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